A Senate aide was arrested Monday on charges of bringing a firearm into the Russell Senate building, U.S. Capitol police told NBC News.
Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for the police, said the aide worked for Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. He entered the building at approximately 10:50 a.m., she said, and was in possession of an unregistered firearm. He did not have a license to carry a pistol in Washington, according to Schneider.
Webb's office issued a statement identifying the staffer as Phillip Thompson.
"To our knowledge, this incident was an oversight by the senator's aide," said the statement, issued by Jessica Smith, a spokeswoman for Webb. "Phillip Thompson is a former Marine, a long-term friend and trusted employee of the senator. We are still awaiting facts."
No other details were immediately available.